NO nuclear weapons in Southeast Asia! – ASEAN pushes SEANWFZ expansion at Manila meeting as global non-proliferation faces ‘immense strain’

ASEAN Nuclear Concerns

Philippine Foreign Minister Tess Lazaro urged ASEAN to keep Southeast Asia free of nuclear weapons as she opened the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission meeting in Manila on Monday, warning that the global nuclear non-proliferation architecture is under ‘immense strain’.

“This year necessitates a deeper introspection on the future of the SEANWFZ treaty. Since our last meeting in 2025, the global non-proliferation security architecture has undergone immense strain. Conflicts in various regions have underscored how nuclear issues can rapidly become entangled with broader geopolitical tensions,” Lazaro said, as the bloc entered its fourth decade since the treaty took effect in 1995.

Call For Protection

“Amid deepening mistrust and the erosion of longstanding disarmament commitments, ASEAN and the bigger international community face real risk of undoing progress in nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament,” she continued.

Lazaro also pointed to the failure of the latest Review Conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons to agree on an outcome document, describing it as the third consecutive unsuccessful review cycle.

Treaty Faces Challenges

“Our discussions today extend beyond the implementation of the SEANWFZ treaty. More importantly, they reflect our collective responsibility to preserve South East Asia as a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality, and free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction,” the foreign minister added.

The SEANWFZ Treaty was signed in 1995 and commits ASEAN member states to keeping the region free of nuclear weapons. The commission meeting is part of the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, hosted by the Philippines, with talks involving ASEAN members and external partners continuing until July 24.

ASEAN Philippines 2026, via Viory.Video

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